Valve announces its filmmaking software with Team Fortress 2's "Meet the Pyro."

It's the last day of the Team Fortress 2 "Pyromania" update, and with it comes the ninth and final "Meet the Team" video. Fans and players finally get to see what goes on in the Pyro's twisted, hilariously delusional mind. But it's the very end of the video that reveals Valve's big announcement: the release of its in-house movie-making software, Source Filmmaker.

Valve has used Source Filmmaker to create animated promotional and in-game videos, as seen in the "Meet the Team" series, Portal 2, and Left 4 Dead 2, among other games. Essentially, if a game uses the Source engine, Source Filmmaker can make a movie out of it. After having developed and tested the software for seven years, creating over 50 animated shorts, the team at Valve are now letting you take a crack at it.

As Valve designer Bay Raitt explains in the video below, the goal of Source Filmmaker is to simplify the normally complex process of creating cinematics. Would-be movie producers can shoot a scene played in a Source engine game, such as Team Fortress 2, then use the software to change camera angles, add in new characters and items, and adjust the lighting and effects to their heart's content. Complex facial expressions and lip-synching are also part of the package.

The software is currently in closed beta, which you can apply to be a part of at the Source Filmmaker website. If you are unable to get a beta key, Valve promises to release the software to all users "soon." Of course, you'll have to install Steam on your PC to use the software.

A game world that's also a movie studio...anyone besides me have flashbacks to the movies by Lionhead? Execpt...you know...this will probably work? Well he's hoping this eventually gets used for many great projects with me hoping Clear Skies 4 being one of them.

kajinking:A game world that's also a movie studio...anyone besides me have flashbacks to the movies by Lionhead? Execpt...you know...this will probably work? Well he's hoping this eventually gets used for many great projects with me hoping Clear Skies 4 being one of them.

I applied for this, and I hope I get it. Even if I don't, I hope its still free, because I want to make a Real TF2 Animated Series. Most of the TF2 stuff I watch is nonsensicle, short, and/or a one time thing, not a continuous series. I want to make a continuous series.

Apparently this Source Filmmaker tool is an extension, or rather a consumer-level version of, a tool-set Valve's already licensed to at least one animation studio for making films.

The studio that made "9" is using some of these tools to make a new animated film. They've commented on the efficiency of the tool-set by saying it's helped them cut their production costs and times significantly.

This program looks really awesome and I would love to get my hands on it as soon as I can.

Just you wait, I am going to release a mock trailer of a movie about the Scout growing up in the city trying to make it out as a slugger in baseball, all while trying to deal with the complex relationship with his new father...the Spy!

dessertmonkeyjk:Wait, if the Source Filmmaker is being released then what is this thing?

There have been leaked versions of their internal tools for a while now, but you're not supposed to have them unless you're Valve or an animation studio they gave them to. Now they're releasing a "consumer" version, limited to TF2 assets for the time being.

Yeah, I'll definitely miss Gmod's flailing limbs and hideously deformed facial vertexes (not that SFM is going to stop anyone from pulling the Demoman's one eyeball out) - but this is awesome.

Hopefully, the more narrative-driven fan projects get kicked up a notch, in terms of quality. I'm also curious to see how SFM supports new models, considering the redonkulous amounts of new models and assets available online. Facepunch is pretty much jam-packed with repurposed models from other games, or fan-made models.

Interesting. I guess this explain why the earlier "Meet the..." were shorter as they were using the earlier version of that filmmaker tool.It would be cool in the future it could be used alongside with the Unreal engine so that way you can make a trailer to the game you created.

As great as this sounds, I'm sure people who already do their own animations will pass on this. This is essentially a hobbyist's toolset, and the only reason Valve has made videos that look so good is because they're professional artists and animators and programmers who can adjust their tools to work for each project. You - yeah, you - you won't be able to make anything halfway as good as that. If you could, you'd already have done and you'd likely be working for Valve.

Azmael Silverlance:And of course the catch you need to use steam to use it is very good trick to pull some extra gamers into the service and trap them into losing their money with the Steam Sales :D

My problem with tying it to Steam is that anyone who might have considered using it in a professional capacity are now tied to the platform too. People making Source games and mods probably don't really want to be tied down to a client. Maybe Valve will release an off-the-shelf boxed version for professionals.

No, but really, this looks amazing. I've signed up and I'll hopefully get to play around with it a bit ^-^ I'm really exited about this, and the content that people will release with it. It will be awesome.